If you’re in the Kansas City area, be sure to check out “Survival of the Fittest” on view now at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art! Comprised of masterworks from the National Museum of Wildlife Art and the Rijksmuseum Twenthe, this is the final stop of this touring exhibition before the works return home!
Bruno Liljefors focused most of his work on the birdlife he witnessed outside of his studio or the animals he encountered while hunting. Wherever he lived, Liljefors also kept a menagerie of various creatures. He often used these animals as models for his paintings. Sea eagles, capercaillie, eider ducks, and swans regularly appear in his work, as do his captive falcons.
Bruno Liljefors (Sweden, 1880 – 1939), Peregrine Attacking Mallard, 1929. Oil on canvas. 47 1/4 x 62 3/4 inches. JKM Collection®, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
I don’t remember this one but it is excellent. As mentioned before, Bruno was a top tier artist.
Two pages of related posts on him.
Runner-Up Birds Nature Photographer Of The Year | A peregrine among thousands
Runner-up in the Birds category, Nick Dunlop’s striking image freezes the chaos of a shorebird flock mid-flight – just as a Peregrine Falcon cuts through with perfect precision.
For over 50 years, Nick has been photographing raptors, drawn especially to peregrines around his home. After nesting season, he turned his lens to their autumn hunts, staking out marshes and beaches along the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts in search of wild birds in action.
This particular shot, taken near the Oregon-Washington state line, was the result of countless quiet days, long hours, and muddy misadventures. “Most days I never saw any action,” Nick shares. “But persistence paid off… I was in the right place at the right time.”
Shooting handheld with Sony’s fast autofocus, he managed to lock focus on Falco peregrinus pealei amid a cloud of Dunlins (Calidris alpina) – a fleeting encounter captured in crystal clarity.
April 16, 2025
I am coming off a head cold and was wandering in the yard today to get fresh air. I had my glasses off and everything was a blur when I noticed a big bird over the barn. I thought of a crow or raven but it was a mature eagle about 50 feet up. I hadn’t seen one in the yard for a while and once again I was struck by what a great bird eagles are.